Eugene Perelshteyn won clear first in the Spice Cup (Nov.9-16, Lubbock, Texas) with 6.5/9. The Boston-based GM told CLO that he was impressed with the conditions of the event: "It had a very prestigious feel. Susan Polgar and Paul Truong (the organizers) took care of us, and everyone was welcoming us from the mayor to the chancellor at Texas Tech University."

Three of Eugene's four wins from the event were with the Black pieces. His favorite game was against Kamil Miton, who was his main rival for first place during the final stretch. Eugene liked the game because it was a strategic victory in which White did not make a clear error. He was also happy because the opening he played was featured in his book, Chess Openings for Black, Explained. "Roman Dzindzhichasvili deserves all the credit for the ideas. I am just the practitioner." (CLO published this game in our previous story on the Spice Cup , but repeat it below.)

In his critical penultimate game against Blas Lugo, Eugene surprised the Miami based IM with the French Defense. Blas tried to turn the tables on Eugene with a pawn sacrifice, but Eugene ended up in a better position out of the opening.

Eugene pinpoints 21.h5 as a mistake, since it allowed 21...Ng6 and 22...Qc7, with the dual threats of Nxe5 and Qc4.
Instead he recommends 21.Qd2, when White is hanging on.

Eugene hopes to play in more similar tournaments, though he laments that there are not too many events like this one in the U.S.A. In fact, it's the strongest Round Robin (Category 12) in Texas for over 30 years! For now, Eugene is back to Boston, where he plays for the U.S. Chess League finalist team, the Boston Blitz , and works for a software company.